The University of Maryland’s centrally provided Webex Web Conferencing service will be discontinued June 15, 2022. The service has provided video and audio conferencing for university community members for several years, but it is not prudent to continue paying for multiple overlapping services. Since Zoom was launched in early 2020, it has become the most popular conferencing option at the university. Based on measured usage in 2021, Webex had approximately 1/50 the use of Zoom but costs almost as much per year.
The Division of IT will be in contact with system users to provide additional details and timeline information about the change.
We appreciate your understanding of this change to university IT service offerings. If you have any questions, please contact the IT Service Desk.
FAQ
Will the ELMS-Canvas Webex integration also be retire
Yes, the Webex options in ELMS-Canvas will be removed.
What does this mean for Webex Teams?
We expect that in Webex Teams, the meetings and video call functionalities will go away when our Webex Conferencing service is discontinued. The Webex Softphones component of Teams will remain available.
Can I still join Webex meetings I'm invited to?
Yes, if you’re invited to a Webex meeting, you can still join using your university email address.
Can I still participate in Webex meetings even if UMD Webex is getting decommissioned?
Yes.
Can I use a free version of Webex Conferencing for university business?
You should not use your university email address to create a free Webex Conferencing account to host meetings or conduct university business.
Can I use my personal version of Webex?
It is generally preferred that you use university-supported tools for university business.
Am I going to lose all my Webex recordings after June 15?
If you take no action, yes, you will lose your Webex recordings. If you have any Webex videos that you’d like to keep, you will need to save them elsewhere before June 15. Panopto is the DIT-supported university media management system, and it is where Zoom recordings are saved automatically. Learn how to upload videos to Panopto.
How do I move my Webex recordings to Panopto?
If you have any Webex videos that you’d like to keep, here are some how-to articles to help:
I was using Webex because of HIPAA compliance issues with Zoom. Is Zoom HIPAA compliant now?
There are ways you can use Zoom in a HIPAA-compliant fashion. Please contact zoom-request@umd.edu for information and setup.